Joseph Bernard Haynes

Haynes was born in Jackson, MS on Sept. 4, 1940 to Earl and Flora Holloway Haynes and grew up in various small towns in the South along with his sister, Nancy. By middle school, his family had moved to Shelbyville, TN where he met the love of his life, Susan Talman Archer. The two graduated from Central High School in 1958.

He attended The University of the South (Sewanee) on full scholarship. He graduated, cum laude, in 1962, was Phi Beta Kappa, group commander of Air Force ROTC, and was awarded the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for excellence of character and service to humanity.

Barney attended law school at New York University where he was a Root Tilden scholar and Head Clerk of the Moot Court. He and Susan married in 1964 before his senior year at NYU. He graduated in 1965 and was awarded the Benjamin F. Butler Prize for Excellence. After his Junior year at NYU, he worked for the Wall Street law firm of Donovan, Leisure, Newton and Irvine and became an associate after graduation.

Barney joined the Air Force on July 4th 1966. He and Susan moved to Ft. Walton Beach, FL. Stationed at Hurlburt Field, he was a Judge Advocate General and a Captain in the United States Air Force from 1966 to 1969.

In 1969, Barney joined the law firm of King and Spalding in Atlanta, GA, where he was elected partner in 1975. He was also elected as a Fellow into the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1992. He had extensive experience in commercial litigation and particular expertise in professional malpractice and securities litigation, representing some of the largest accounting firms in the country. Known for his judgment and discretion, Barney was entrusted with sensitive matters, including work related to the Exxon Valdez litigation and negotiations surrounding the release of Eugene Hasenfus from Nicaragua. He retired from King and Spalding in 2008.

Barney’s commitment to service extended beyond his firm and his clients. He was a dedicated member of the board for the Jessie Parker Williams foundation for years, eventually serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. He was an elder and Chairman of the Board of Deacons of Peachtree Presbyterian Church, and active member and trustee of the Atlanta Cancer Society, member of the Public Affairs Committee of Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, a trustee of Christ School and a past president of the Sewanee Club of Atlanta. In his later years, he found great fulfillment as a tutor and mentor through the Agape Youth and Family Center.

Barney possessed a rare combination of intellectual rigor and steely competitiveness, combined with humility, courtesy, humor, and integrity. He was known professionally for his work ethic and the congenial, unassuming manner in which he could outmaneuver his adversaries in the courtroom. As mentioned by one of his fellow partners, “Barney was a master at having his way without adopting any of the discourtesies that blemish modern law practice.”

It is well known that Barney had a joke or story for every occasion, many of them of questionable accuracy, but always shared with great confidence.

Above all, it was his kindness and generosity for which Barney will be most remembered. Never performative nor attached to status, Barney gave enthusiastically and without hesitation to everyone that crossed his path.

He was equally generous in spirit, taking genuine pleasure in the accomplishments of others and was often the first to celebrate someone else’s success, whether it was a courtroom victory, a well played round of golf, or the biggest fish of the day. Despite his professional success, Barney retained the humility and sensibilities of a boy from small town Tennessee.

His joys were his wife of 61 years, Susan, to whom he had a deep and unwavering devotion, and their children and grandchildren. He loved fishing, particularly on remote Bending Lake in Canada, where the quiet simplicity of lake life provided endless walleye dinners and questionable fishing stories, front porch sunset viewing, the enjoyment of good music and communion with family, friends and nature.

He is survived by his wife, Susan, his son Joseph Baker Haynes (Stephanie), daughter Susan Haynes McCoy (Jeff), his four grandchildren, Ben and Will Haynes and Haynes and Park McCoy: and sister Nancy Wehby. He is preceded in death by his parents Earl and Flora Haynes.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be made to Sewanee University and designated to “scholarships” Sewanee, or to the American Cancer Society. Cancer.org.

A celebration of life for Barney will be held at a later date.